Final from Childress

A TEAM OF METEOROLOGISTS CONDUCTED A DAMAGE SURVEY IN CHILDRESS MONDAY AFTERNOON…JUNE 16TH. THIS DAMAGE OCCURRED AS AN ISOLATED SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM MOVED ACROSS THE CITY OF CHILDRESS BETWEEN 830 AND 900 PM SUNDAY EVENING…JUNE 15TH.

THE FINDINGS FROM THE SURVEY TEAM INDICATE THAT WIDESPREAD STRAIGHT-LINE WIND DAMAGE OCCURRED OVER A LARGE PART OF THE CITY DUE TO A MACROBURST…WHICH IS A LARGE SCALE DOWNDRAFT AND ASSOCIATED OUTFLOW THAT SPREADS OUT AWAY FROM A THUNDERSTORM AS THE CORE COLLAPSES. AT THIS TIME…THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF A TORNADO. THE DAMAGE IN CHILDRESS IS CONSISTENT WITH 75 TO 95 MPH WINDS…WHICH EQUATES TO EF0 TO LOWER END EF1 WIND ESTIMATES ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE.

MOST OF THE DAMAGE OCCURRED FROM WIND-DRIVEN HAIL, WITH MORE SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL DAMAGE IN A FEW AREAS. HAIL SIZES RANGED FROM QUARTER TO PING PONG BALL SIZE. THE AREA WHICH SUSTAINED SOME OF THEWORST DAMAGE WAS ALONG U.S. HIGHWAY 83 NORTH OF U.S. HIGHWAY 287 IN THE NORTHWEST PART OF THE CITY. NUMEROUS POWER POLES WERE BLOWN DOWN TO THE WEST ALONG U.S. HIGHWAY 83 AND SEVERAL HOMES SUSTAINED ROOFDAMAGE AS EAST-FACING GARAGE DOORS FAILED.

FARTHER SOUTH…ALMOST ALL EAST-FACING WINDOWS WERE BLOWN OUT OF RESIDENCES AND SIDING AND OTHER EXTERIOR SURFACES SUFFERED SEVERE DAMAGE BY WIND-BLOWN HAIL. OTHER STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WITHIN THE CITY PRIMARILY INCLUDED BARNS AND OUTBUILDINGS AND A FEW BUSINESSES. THERE WERE APPROXIMATELY 6 MINOR INJURIES REPORTED…MAINLY AS A RESULT OF WIND-BLOWN DEBRIS.

AUTOMATED WEATHER EQUIPMENT AT THE CHILDRESS AIRPORT RECORDED A WIND GUST TO 69 MPH…WHILE THE WEST TEXAS MESONET SITE 2 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF CHILDRESS RECORDED A WIND GUST TO 80 MPH BEFORE DATACOLLECTION WAS INTERRUPTED AT BOTH SITES.

NOAA WEATHER RADIO STATION KJY97 IN CHILDRESS IS BACK ON THE AIR…BUT WIND DAMAGE TO THE ANTENNAE AT THE TRANSMITTER SITE MAY AFFECT SIGNAL STRENGTH AND COVERAGE AREA UNTIL THE EQUIPMENT CAN BE REPAIRED.

THE NWS OFFICE IN LUBBOCK WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE WITH THE DAMAGE SURVEY…PERSONNEL FROM THE TEXAS TECH MESONET…LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS IN THE CHILDRESS AREAINCLUDING THE CHILDRESS COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE. WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK FOLKS FROM AMARILLO TV STATIONS FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE AND PROVIDING PICTURES OF THE EVENT…AND TO THE PADUCAH EMERGENCYMANAGEMENT OFFICE FOR RELAYING CRITICAL INFORMATION DURING THE SEVERE WEATHER EVENT.